1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of exercising apparatus and more particularly to a novel exercise apparatus incorporating a controlled weight resistence means so that a weightlifter may exert maximum effort in safety and without assistance from another person.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, it is the practice in the exercise field to employ free or machine weights in an effort to increase the strength and good health of the user. Normally, the user will place the weights on the end of a bar or in a stack and proceed to lift the bar employing the weights as resistance so that the muscles of the particular body group are thoroughly exercised. The practice is usually to perform a number of repetitions in a particular set and then to use a certain number of sets in order to complete the exercise.
For maximum body muscle strength, the user attempts to exert all of his strength on the last one or two repetitions of each set, and in this connection, a helper is generally asked to place fingers under the weights to assist the lifter in the event full exertion exhausts the muscles to where the lifter cannot make the final repetition. The alternate is to not use a spotter and this is extremely dangerous to the lifter since muscle exertion and exhaustion may cause the weights to drop and the lifter may be damaged thereby. Another problem and difficulty has been encountered which stems from the fact that the user or lifter has no control over the resistance of the weights as the repetitions are being performed in each set. Usually, to change resistance, the user must stop the procedure and immediately place or remove weights until the desired amount of resistance is achieved. Then the exercise is resumed. Obviously, this wastes time, and, more importantly, interrupts the purpose of timed repetitions in each set.
Some attempts have been made to provide a change in resistance by employing controlled pressure, a variety of cam assemblies or the like, and these arrangements have not been successful because they either require frequent manual changing by either the lifter or an assistant but remain a static system requiring the temporary cessation of the exercise while the adjustment is being made.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a dynamic means in an exercising machine which will permit the user or lifter to vary the amount of resistance during the exercise procedure without stopping the procedure or requiring independent assistance to rearrange the resistance.